Category Archives: Easy

Every body loves them, although I think one is enough — boy are they rich. Barb Gertz at Recipeczar.com has a really good recipe for Lavendar Lemon Bars; they raise the elegance bar (pun intended) a few notches.

Now, mix pasta and dressing. Toss in chicken, bacon. Add 3 c. chopped Romaine lettuce and fresh spinach. Throww in a chopped tomato. Toasted croutons made of good french bread are a good add-in: I toss the cubes with olive oil and bake at a low temp til crisp. This will probably serve 6 people.

My first trip to California was for my brother’s wedding in 1971 (72?).I thought, and still do, that San Diego was a beautiful city: palm trees and oleanders lining the streets, sunshine and lots of fresh fruits and veggies. My sister and I would walk to the corner in the mornings and get a drink called “Orange Julius”: I’m not sure if they had gone national at the time, but I had never heard of it. It was a free-standing open air counter, with baskets of fresh fruit, waiting to be blended with the secret Julius powder into a delicious smoothie. And this was back when a raw egg was offered as a protein-packed optional add-in. No one would reveal the recipe, but I figured this was a pretty close imitation. Good for an afternoon pick-me-up or breakfast in a hurry.

1 cup very cold orange juice

3-4 ice cubes

1/4 c. dry milk powder

2 teaspns vanilla (do not omit this — I think it is the secret ingredient!)

1 Tablespn either honey or powdered sugar (more or less as you like)

Blend it all together and drink it up.

Note: Some times, I use frozen o.j. out of the can, 2-3 Tablespns. concentrate. For the liquid, you can use water or some other kind of juice, such as mango.

You can throw in frozen strawberries instead of the ice cubes.

Yes, I sometime add a raw egg; do this only at your own risk —- salmonella is a danger.. You’ve been warned. Don’t sue me. If you like the idea of egg, use dried meringue powder.

I also sometimes add about 1/4 c. of raw rolled oats. It thickens the whole thing up and adds more protein and fiber.

It’s still winter up here in Omaha; so last week Faith baked a batch of our favorite gingersnaps: soft, chewy cookies with lumps of chocolate. What could be better for a cold, windy afternoon? The recipe that I use is typed on a little card with a note from my mom at the bottom:” Good luck, Julie. Love, Mom.” They have been my favorite for years, although mom’s recipe didn’t have the chocolate chips. We figured adding them would be the only way to improve these cookies.

3/4 c. shortening

1 c. brown sugar

1/4 c. molasses

1 egg

2 1/4 c. flour

2 teasp. soda

1/2 teasp. salt

1 teasp. ginger

1 teasp. cinnamon

1/2 teasp. cloves (ground)

1 c. chocolate chips

Oven temp: 350. Grease the cookie sheets.

Cream shortening, sugar, molasses and egg. Stir in dry ingredients. Add chocolate chips. Roll into small balls and dip the tops in white sugar. Bake on a greased cookie sheet for about 8 minutes. Should make about 4 dozen depending on size of cookies and whether you can keep your fingers out of the dough.

Faith used a little honey in the last batch, because she thought that they looked too dry.

First, get a loaf of white bread; we’re going old school. Pull out a couple of slices, but NOT THE HEEL! Grape jelly is preferred, but strawberry is okay — it’s just a little too healthy for our purposes today. Make sure that you use creamy peanut butter, it’s easier to spread. And MAKE SURE that you spread from edge to edge — VERY IMPORTANT! No bread must show through! on the other piece of bread, spread some margarine — Mom always said that would keep us from choking. The margarine should be spread thick enough to show teeth marks when you bite it. Slap it together and there you are! (you can cut it into triangles –“houses”, or rectangles, but when you cut it, the flavor runs out.)Raisins can be sprinkled on top of the p.b. but skip the jelly. Find a book and enjoy with your nutritious snack!

I do not eat peanut butter this way anymore, but this might explain why I am still trying to lose 10 lbs. of baby fat.